This relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly, to electronic devices having plasmonic light collectors.
Plasmonic effects are quantum surface field effects in which an evanescent wave of electron density oscillations is generated on or near a surface of a metal or meta-material in response to incident photons. In structures designed to exhibit plasmonic effects, incoming photons incident on the plasmonic structure generate plasmons associated with high intensity electromagnetic fields within nano-scale distances from the surface of the structure. These high intensity electromagnetic fields couple to the incoming photons and affect the path of travel of the photon near the plasmonic surface.
Plasmonic structures that affect visible light (i.e., light in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum) require lithographic patterning and material height differences on the surface of the structures with dimensions of greater than 400 nanometers. Typical semiconductor volume manufacturing facilities lack such lithography capabilities. These material height requirements have therefore restricted the use of visible light plasmonic structures in electronic devices such as imaging devices and communications devices.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved plasmonic structures for use in imaging and communications devices.